Page 69 of Deadwood
She walked backwards a few steps, facing me as she did. “I guess you’ll just have to come to dinner to find out. I’ll come get you in one hour.” Before I could say anything else, she spun around and headed away from me, into the street.
I opened the door, the force of the wind causing it to swing in fast. Bracing my hands on the back of it, I managed to shove it shut after I was inside. Despite being in the house, the wind still howled through the walls. Already from when I’d left, the speeds had picked up.
Given I had an hour and no choice but to attend this dinner, I decided to take a bath and finally get the days’ worth of grime, blood, and tangles out of my hair. I headed upstairs, still catering to my hurt ankle, and found the bathroom next to the main bedroom. I turned on the faucet to the tub, thankful they had running water like we did in Amosite—and, as I’d hoped, it was coming out hot. Going up and down those stairs with buckets would have been a pain. Many of the kingdoms seemed to have the same luxury, but there were certain parts of the cities that weren’t as lucky, so I’d been told.
Once the tub was full, I undressed and left my clothes in a pile on the floor. My fingers carefully undid the wrap around my ankle, and after it was off, I tested the movement in the limb and instantly regretted it. It wasn’t as bad as it first had been, but it still hurt to move much without the support from the wrap.
I set the fabric by the sink and lowered myself into the tub, nearly moaning as I did. The hot water instantly felt blissful on my aching muscles, so I gave myself a few minutes to enjoy the warmth before getting to work scrubbing myself from top to bottom with a bar of soap. It coated my skin in a beautiful floral scent, which was a wonderful change from the stench I had before.
As I sat back against the porcelain, I stared at the ceiling, wondering how we’d ended up here. Being stranded and losing nearly all of our guards was the last thing I’d expected to happen on this trip, and yet, here we were. I couldn’t help but feel lucky that we had landed here, as bad as Deadwood might seem on the surface. Siara and Flynt had been welcoming so far, and I wondered how they had grown so close to Bowen. I’d admit I was curious to meet Raiden, partly to see the company Bowen kept aside from the other two.
As soon as I was done soaking in the last moments of warmth, I rinsed off best I could and got out, using a rag to wipe myself dry. After I put the black dress back on, I braided my hair, figuring it’d be easier to keep tame in the wind that way.
Then, I sat on the edge of the bed to rewrap my ankle and stayed there while I waited for Siara to come and get me.
* * *
The housethe dinner was held in was more like a massive, narrow room. The table stretched nearly the entire length of the space, the top made of fresh-cut wood, sealed with a glossy finish. Each knot and groove was left in its imperfect state, not filed down or filled like I’d normally seen them.
Siara had come to gather me not long after I’d finished my bath, and on our way over, she’d told me Flynt was fetching Lander and Paxon. Like Bowen, she hadn’t questioned why Lander was in separate quarters from me, and I was thankful for it.
As I was taught, I kept my feet flat on the ground, my elbows off the table, and took small bites so as not to make a mess. All the while we ate, Paxon kept his eyes on me from down the table. I’d avoided his intimidating gaze as much as I could, but anywhere I looked, I felt his stare, unease crawling over my arms with each passing second.
Bowen sat directly next to me at the head of the table, with Siara, Flynt, and Raiden—who I could finally put a face to—across from me. On my other side was Lander, with Paxon beside him. Whether I leaned forward or back, he somehow kept finding me.
It’d been a silent dinner, aside from some of the side chatter between Flynt and Siara. Raiden, Bowen’s commander, had been silent the entire meal. He gave each of us equal attention, most likely watching our body language to tell if we were about to strike or not.
I’d avoided the meat on my plate all evening, only picking at the mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. I hadn’t seen any protein look the way it did, and I wasn’t in the mood for food poisoning tonight. Who knew what they ate in this town?
“What’s wrong, Princess? Never seen food before?” Bowen asked, interrupting my stare down of the food in front of me. Siara was peppering Lander with question after question now, drowning out Bowen’s voice from the others.
“Is this bison?” I asked quietly. It sounded outlandish, voicing it aloud.
He studied me, likely trying to gauge if I was being serious.
My gaze moved back to the plate in front of me as shame filled me. “My apologies. That was a stupid?—”
“It is,” he interrupted.
My eyes shot to his. “That’s impossible. They’re extinct.” He had to be playing some sort of joke on me. The innocent, naïve girl staying in his town would surely have a prank or two played on her. I should’ve been expecting it.
“Maybe in Amosite, but not here.”
“You’ll have to excuse her. She’s a little unacquainted,” Lander said beside me, inserting himself into our conversation.
Bowen gave Lander a flat look. “Is that so?”
Lander nodded while finishing his bite. “Kept locked in the castle and all that.”
“I wouldn’t say that makes her unacquainted,” Bowen said blandly. I wanted to shrink in on myself. If I had to make bets on the two of them, Bowen would surely win. No offense to Lander, but Bowen had him beat by a long shot. Lander had barely any muscle on him, while Bowen was built like he trained for battle every day. Lander wouldn’t stand a chance.
“It’s okay—” I began, but neither paid me any mind as Lander’s eyes narrowed on Bowen.
“Do tell. What does it make her, then?” Lander asked.
Bowen moved his gaze to me, the two of us locking eyes. In his, I found remorse… almost like he regretted something, but that had to be wrong. He had no right to feel pity for me. For all he knew, I lived a great life.
“I’m not one to put a label on a person,” Bowen said, his voice quieter now as he didn’t bother to look away as he spoke.
